Iran’s World Cup Team Caught Between Visas, Politics and a Mexico Base

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published June 6, 2026

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Iran’s World Cup preparations have been pulled into a major visa and diplomatic dispute, with Iranian officials saying the team will be based in Mexico and enter the United States only on match days before leaving the same day. The Times reported that, according to Iranian officials, the team has been told it can enter U.S. territory on the day of each match and return immediately to Mexico afterward.

The confirmed picture is more precise. Iran’s players have received U.S. visas, a U.S. official told Reuters, but Iranian media said some administrative staff and federation officials had not received visas. Reuters reported that staff members without visas would travel with the squad to Mexico while efforts to secure approval continued.

The Associated Press reported that Iran’s team left its training camp in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday for Tijuana, Mexico, after visa processing problems led the squad to move its base from Tucson, Arizona. AP said several federation officials, including the secretary-general and vice president, were among those still without U.S. visas before Iran’s matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Iran’s football federation has accused the United States of politically motivated behaviour and said it would raise the matter with FIFA. U.S. officials, meanwhile, told AP that all Iranian players had been approved for visas, along with coaches, trainers and some support staff, while some applications were rejected over concerns about false pretenses.

The dispute is not only administrative. The United States, Mexico and Canada are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup at a time of severe tensions between Washington and Tehran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington will not allow people linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be embedded in the delegation, placing the visa dispute inside a wider security and political context.

Iran is scheduled to open its Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, then face Belgium in the same city before playing Egypt in Seattle on June 26. If the reported same-day entry rule is applied, it could affect preparation, recovery, media obligations and match logistics.